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Friday, December 30, 2016

I’ve been working on my blogs for
next year. This year it got a little derailed because of life stuff.

I’ve decided to try themes for
next year. I’m alternating the themes between writing themes, and marketing,
publishing themes. I’m planning to post on themes on Tuesday and then have
guest authors sharing their thoughts on the theme of the month, info on their
own writing and some fun stuff you might not know, plus they’re latest book on Thursday.

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Do read during the holidays? Do
you have a list to be read (TBR) in January? How do you chose the books on your
list?

I have to admit I haven’t been
reading this last week. Holidays, cooking, eating, visiting and socializing got
in the way. I am looking for good books to read during the next few weeks. I
prefer mystery and romantic suspense. Sometimes women’s fiction. I have a few
favorite authors I usually chose, but for the new year I thought I’d check out
a few new authors.

Helena Fairfax recommended one
her blog that sounded good – Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarity. This is
also a Goodreads recommendation, so that’s going on my list.

Goodreads recommends It Ends with
Us by Colleen Hoover, End of Watch by Stephen King, and The Last Mile by David
Baldacci.

The best sellers from Amazon
included The Princess Diaries by Carrie Fisher, and Sisters One, Two, Three by
Nancy Star.

Also, The Power of Love and Murder
by Benda Whitehall, Stone of Heaven by L. A Sartor,Rachel by
Caroline Clemmons, and The Beast Within by Jacquie Biggar.And I’ll be looking for other
recommendations from authors I haven’t read. I’d love to hear who you’re
reading.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Christmas traditions vary in each country. For many nations it means
Christmas trees, real or artificial and lots of lights, exchanging Christmas
cards, Christmas stockings or shoes, singing Christmas carols and the creation
of the Nativity scene. Advent calendars are opened and Advent wreaths hung.
Candy canes are in abundance and there’s Christmas dinner with the turkey and/or
ham and all the trimmings. In Canada, we have pork sausage which we stuff in
the turkey neck. The dressing goes in the cavity. We serve Christmas pudding
and mincemeat pie. And garlic sausage
rings are great for appetizers. I know in the United States sweet potato pie
and pumpkin pie is popular.

Then there’s the exchange of presents. Some expensive ones, but many
homemade with love and others from local craft markets. There’s the burning of
the Yule log in some countries.

Books and TV programs tell stories about Baby Jesus, Santa Claus, St.
Nick, reindeer, and snow men. For many it may include a midnight Mass or
Christmas Eve church service.

Christmas is three days away.We went to the Winterhaven
Festival of Lights this year and I’ve never seen so many lights and displays in
such a small area.

I'm writing
this, playing Christmas carols, and singing along. One of my traditions. We put
up Christmas lights and I’m ready to cook a turkey dinner. A few more
traditions. I’ve made some glass fusion gifts and donated to several groups to
help others at this time of year.

What
about you? What are your traditions?Whatever they may be. Happy Holidays everyone!

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

When you pick a setting for your story do you place it somewhere you've been or that's familiar?In this day we can research everything on the net, but is it as good as being there?In my book, A Cruise to Remember, we had taken several cruises. I decided to set a novel on a cruise. I knew about cruises and the ports where we stopped. I included them in the book. The novel I'm writing is set in New Orleans. I have visited there several times so I know Bourbon street and that area. I don't know the residential areas around the French Quarter so I did have to use the internet to get a better feel for that area.For my series set in Montana, on a ranch in fictional Duster, I had no experience with ranch life. I've driven through Montana a few times, but that's it. I hit the internet and got some information. Then I posted to a few groups I'm on and asked a questions about running a ranch. People were wonderful and I got lots of information. Hopefully it helped to make the setting more realistic.

So I use both for my settings. I'm more comfortable if I've been to the area, but Wikipedia, the internet and some loops can be very helpful.

What about you? How do you chose a setting? What's important in writing your setting?

Friday, December 16, 2016

Victoria Chatham suggested this topic: Prologue and
Epilogue. Do they have a use? Should they be used? Can you have one without the
other? This topic was suggested by one of our group, Victoria Chatham. Be sure to
check out her blog.

It’s an interesting topic. I’ve used both in drafts, and I’ve
been called on it from a critique partner or editor. And I end up taking the
prologue out and starting the story in a different place. They didn’t have a
use in the stories when I really analyzed it. I think the first thing you need
to decide is where should the story start. What’s the inciting moment? Does it
change the direction of the story?

Now, does the reader need a prologue to give the background
or can it be filtered into the story? I think if it’s a prologue it needs to be
from a different time or setting. If it’s
back story it should be added in small doses throughout the story.

Epilogue can have a use, in my opinion. I have used
them.You write the story and tie up all
the loose ends. The goal has been met.The h/h have resolved their issues. The reader is satisfied. Right?
Maybe, but sometimes you want to add a few little details that didn’t fit the
quick paced ending.

For instance, it’s a series and after you wrote ‘The End’
and before the start of the next book, there was a marriage and maybe an
adoption. It could be done in back story, but it’s more relative to the
previous book. The reader may want to know what happened after ‘The End’.

If you do write an Epilogue and I think can be used, it
should be short and include only the items you think the reader might be
interested in.

Can you use one without the other? Absolutely. But make
sure it’s necessary and there’s no other way to include information the reader
will want. And it should be info the readers want – not what the writer wants
to share.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

We’re into the biggest holiday season of the year. Christmas
is in 10 days.

You have family, friends, baking, parties, maybe a job
and you’re a writer. How do you balance it all? Do you quit writing? You can
start again in January. Do
you shop online? Do you skip baking or buy it at a local bakery? Do you skip
parties to write?

I have a slight advantage. We snowbird, so I do Christmas
cards the first week in November and mail them. I do my Christmas shopping a few
weeks before we leave and hide them in the back of a funky closet in my home office.
A few days before Christmas I tell my
daughter where they are and she can distribute them. And I don’t bake.

I did say ‘slight’ advantage. Because I’m in an RV park
with all sorts of activities, so right now I’m doing glass fusion, genealogy
and learning the ukulele. And all our neighbors get together several times a week
to socialize. So, when do I write. I spend early morning before I get up,
thinking about my characters and the story. I might make a few notes. Then I set aside an hour and a half
to write five days a week. If something interferes, I make sure I write fifteen
minutes (even if it’s gibberish) before I go to bed. If for some reason I can’t,
I try to add it to the time the next day.

It’s not perfect, but is it working for me? Mostly, yes,
I’m hoping to finish Death Southern Style in the next few days.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

So,
you’re going to write a Christmas story. Is it a novel, a novella, or a short
story?

When
do you write it? When do you publish it?

I
am not writing this from experience but from considering what and when to
write. Usually around October I think, yikes, I should be writing a Christmas
novella. But I’m not in the mood for Christmas. No way could I write a novel at
this time, probably not even novella.

For
other occasions, Easter, Valentines Day, or Breast Cancer month I write a piece
and it’s rejected because I should have sent it in 2 months earlier. So, I need
to write it five or six months before I send it in.

It’s
almost a new year and I’m looking at my goals for the next year. So, for
Valentines day – I’m too late.

Easter,
should be by early January.

I
have to admit I have a problem getting in the mood four or five months in
advance. It’s Christmas and New Year’s and I should be writing Easter stories.

My
goal is to fit these novellas into a schedule five to six months before the
event.

How
do you fit the seasons into your writing plans? Do you need to be in the mood? What
are you writing now?

Saturday, December 10, 2016

I’ve got a book
almost ready to publish. I’m almost ready to send it to my proof reader and get
a cover.

I started to think about marketing. What genre do I put
the book in?

I write romantic suspense. Some are western and other’s
PI and detective. This one is a medical about cloning. It’s setting is a
hospital. The cloning is designer children, and cloning for body part’s. There’s
suspense, but I’m wondering if this fits into a sci-fi category. I don’t write
sci-fi but this seems a little in that direction.

So when I market it – what do I say? I checked out Wikipedia
and here’s some of the genres they define.

Classic – fiction that has become part
of an accepted literary canon, widely taught in schools

Crime/detective –
fiction about a crime, how the criminal gets caught, and the repercussions
of the crime

Fantasy – fiction with strange or otherworldly
settings or characters; fiction which invites suspension of reality

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Eleanor Webster has a passion for many things, the
most ardent likely being shoes.

But she’s also passionate about a story well
told.With the help of some debutantes
and viscounts and a twist of the unknown, Eleanor’s stories weave a tale of
enchantment, hope, and most importantly, love.

When not writing, you’ll find Eleanor dreaming of
being a world traveler, reading, running, reading, hiking in the wilds of
British Columbia, where she makes her home with her husband and two daughters,
and – did we mention reading?

Tainted by illegitimacy, plain Sarah Martin has no
illusions of a grand marriage. So when the Earl of Langford makes her a
proposal that will take her one step closer to finding her half sister, she
can't refuse!

Sebastian's dreams of romance died with his late
wife's affair, so now he needs a convenient wife to act as governess for his
silent daughter. Yet Sarah continues to surprise and challenge him, and soon
Sebastian can't deny the joy his new bride could bring to his life—and into his
bed!

Available
November 22, 2016

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2cEzUzW

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2cm9jJB

Nook: http://bit.ly/2cm8oZN

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2cNcokR

Excerpt

Dramatic events never happened to her. Ever.

‘If I remove my hand, do you promise not to scream?’
The voice was male. Warm breath touched her ear.

Sarah nodded. The man loosened his hold. She turned.

Her eyes widened as she took in his size, the breadth
of his shoulders and the midnight-black of his clothes.

‘Good God, you’re a woman,’ he said.

‘You’re...you’re a gentleman.’ For the cloth he wore
was fine and not the roughened garb of a common thief.

She grabbed on to these details as though, through
their analysis, she would make sense of the situation.

‘What was your purpose for spying on me?’ His gaze
narrowed, his voice calm and without emotion.

‘Spying? I don’t even know you.’ The rabbit squirmed
and she clutched it more tightly.

‘Then why are you hiding?’

‘I’m not. Even if I were, you have no reason to accost
me.’ Her cheeks flushed with indignation as her fear lessened.

He dropped his hand, stepping back. ‘I apologise. I
thought you were a burglar.’

‘We tend not to get many burglars in these parts. Who
are you anyway?’

‘Sebastian Hastings, Earl of Langford, at your
service.’

He made his bow. ‘And a guest at Eavensham.’

‘A guest? Then why are you in the kitchen garden?’

‘Taking the air,’ he said.

‘That usually doesn’t involve accosting one’s fellow
man.

You are lucky I am not of a hysterical disposition.’

‘Indeed.’

Briefly, she wondered if wry humour laced his voice,

but his lips were straight and no twinkle softened his
expression. In the fading light, the strong chin and cheekbones looked more
akin to a statue than anything having the softness of flesh.

At this moment, the rabbit thrust its head free of the
shawl.

‘Dinner is running late, I presume.’ Lord Langford’s
eyes widened, but he spoke with an unnerving lack of any natural surprise.

‘The creature is hurt and I need to bandage him,
except Mr. Hudson, the butler, is not fond of animals and I wanted to ensure
his absence.’

‘The butler has my sympathies.’

Sarah opened her mouth to respond but the rabbit,
suddenly spooked, kicked at her stomach as it clawed against the shawl. Sarah
gasped, doubling over, instinctively whispering the reassurances offered by her
mother after childhood nightmares.

‘You speak French?’

‘What?’

‘French? You are fluent?’

‘What? Yes, my mother spoke it—could we discuss my
linguistic skills later?’ she gasped, so intent on holding the rabbit that she
lost her footing and stumbled against the man. His hand shot out. She felt his
touch and the strangely tingling pressure of his strong fingers splayed against
her back.

‘Are you all right?’

‘Yes—um—I was momentarily thrown off balance.’

She straightened. They stood so close she heard the
intake of his breath and felt its whisper.

‘Perhaps,’ she added, ‘you could see if the butler is
in the kitchen? I do not know how long I can keep hold of this fellow.’

‘Of course.’ Lord Langford stepped towards the window
as though spying on the servants were an everyday occurrence. ‘I can see the
cook and several girls, scullery maids, I assume. I believe the butler is
absent.’

‘Thank you. I am obliged.’

Tightening her hold on the rabbit, Sarah paused,
briefly reluctant to curtail the surreal interlude. Then, with a nod of thanks,
she stooped to pick up the valise.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

One of the things I’ve always been told is you need to
write everyday.

It’s a habit that many good writers follow. I run a BIAW
four times a year for my writing group, Kiss of Death. The message I try to get
across to the participants is that the purpose of BIAW is to develop a habit of
writing every day. The actual word count is secondary. If it’s 100 words every
day for the week, you’re on track for making your writing a habit. Then you
need to keep it up after BIAW finishes.

Maybe find a writing partner and post totals every day.
It’s the accountability factor. If you’re being honest and have to check in
with someone everyday it should encourage you to write a few words w everyday.
People tell me they didn’t have time to write – family interfered, it was a
long day at work. My reply is, you can find a few minutes. What about ten
minutes before you go to bed? Or maybe 15 minutes during a lunch hour if you
work? Or get up ten minutes earlier and write?

Other things such as NaNo, to me, it’s not so much
finishing, it’s writing a few words every day.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

I read an article that said an author should try their
hand at writing other formats as a writing exercise.

Any format would work. The ones they suggested were a six-word
story. You need a beginning,
middle, end, and ideally a lot of tension. You need to set up and resolve
conflictin six specific words.

The next is poetry, which is painstaking to write. The next is Flash Fiction, defined
as “short short stories” or stories between 50 and 2,000 words. Try to pack a
complete story into so few words.

The fourth one is a
short story. The fifth is a news article. The value ere is the comparison of
styles – fiction vs non-fiction. It also it forces you to fill in the “five Ws
and one H.” This is of course the “Who, What, What, When, Where, and How”.

The last one is an
opinion piece. It should be novel, or at least presented in a novel fashion,
that is personal to you and not derivative of anyone else’s thinking. It must
exhibit original thinking. It forces you to find and use your voice.

I have written one
short story, which does force you to tighten your writing. I have never tried any
of the others, but I am considering the opinion piece and a news article. It might
be interesting. Anything to improve my writing skills.

What about you? Does
this sound valuable? Have you written in any of them? Does it help tighten your
writing?

Thursday, November 24, 2016

My husband couldn’t understand why it’s such a big holiday in the US. We’re
Canadian and celebrate in October, but it’s not that big of a family holiday.
Christmas is much bigger for us.

I said it was because the first Thanksgiving would have been a pilgrim
celebration after the first harvesting of the crops. It would have been a big
family and friend’s celebration, but thought I should check it out. Off to good
old Wikipedia and here’s what I found.

The event commonly called the “First thanksgiving” was celebrated by the
pilgrims after the first harvest in the New World in October, 1621. It laste3d
three days and was attended by 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims. I was
surprised because I thought it would have been closer to the date celebrated
today.

Today Thanksgiving is a public holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday
in November. It has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789, after a
proclamation by George Washington. It has been celebrated as a federal holiday
every year since 1863, when, during the American civil War, President Abraham
Lincoln proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent
Father who dwelleth in the Heavens,” to be celebrated on the last Thursday in
November.

Now it’s a huge family getting together around turkey, stuffing, and
football. Together with Christmas and the New Year, Thanksgiving is the
beginning of the holiday season.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

I know some people use books of baby’s names. I’m not
sure how other people do it. I find I have to develop my character first before
they get a name. I come up with an idea for a story and then I start to think
about it. The idea of the story begins to grow. The one in the back of my head right
now, as I try to finish Death Southern Style, is set in Canada. People kept
saying why don’t you write locally?

Well, I was raised in Calgary, Alberta and we just moved
back to Alberta – Medicine Hat, not Calgary. So, I’m thinking I should write
locally. Also, my series on the Hawkins’ family is set in Montana and I
researched the Blackfoot tribe, which is also in Alberta so I’m going to use
that. I’m thinking about a woman in her mid to late forties, First Nations
(Blackfoot) reported replaced by a younger man. She buys an RV and decides to
travel. No title for the book and write now my heroine is Jane Wolf. Wolf
because it could be a First Nations name. Jane – no real reason. It sort of
goes with Wolf. Not sure the name will stay but t will be my starting name. As
I develop her character, family and friends the name may change, even several
times.

This is how I usually choose names and they usually get
changed as the story progresses and often I have to change them because several
names can sound similar and confuse readers.

How do you choose names and do they change as the story
progress or remain the same throughout the writing process?

Friday, November 18, 2016

How does wording choice develop a story's
character? How do you use and select your words?

Big topic but an interesting one. The topic was suggested
and this was the theme. Sometimes find myself writing down turns of phrase
like:

She
had to be the sexiest-looking 42-year-old on the planet, the best that money
could buy.

Is
this a positive or a negative when you read a book? How can such statements be
used to describe character?

Honestly,
when I read something like that, if it’s from 1940, maybe 1950, it fits within the
era. I smile and enjoy the description. It’s usually
from a PI about a client or a woman in a bar.

If
it’s contemporary, I read it but it pulls me out of the book. Wording choice has to be relevant to the
genre, the era, and the time frame. It’s important to use words to grab he
readers and hook theme to the character but it has to relate to the reader.

For
me, building a character is my challenge. I love to develop a plot, but the
character something that will resonate with a reader, drives the plot. So, I have
to use words to develop a character. I try to use words that will grab a reader
and my editor won’t cut. They need to be descriptive, evocative, and something
a reader can imagine in their mind.

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Has writing changed in the last five years? A few posts
ago I wrote about the age of the average romance reader. The comments seemed to
indicate that people wrote what they read and didn’t focus on a specific age or
group of people.

It got me thinking about whether writers have changed
much over the last few years. I’m still writing romantic suspense. I don’t
think I’ve changed my style much. That may be good or bad.

We have more Indie authors writing on topics that
otherwise might not be published. If well-written that’s a good thing.

What about genres? Have they changed. Chic Lit is gone.
Sweet romances seem to have disappeared – but are they now found in westerns or
other genres? We have YA. Gothic showed up for a little while but I think it’s
faded. Steampunk was the rage. I don’t know how it’s doing. Paranormal,
mystery, suspense, and thrillers are still popular. (I think) Erotica is doing
well.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on where writing is
changing – or is it?

I’m also going to do a poll. I have to learn how to do
it. I’m doing one on twitter and see what people think are the top genres. It
only allows 4 choices so I’ll run one for a day and then do another group. If I
can learn how to do one on Facebook I’ll add the link. And here it is https://poll.fbapp.io/most-popular-romace-genres
You can just comment on
this blog and vote for your favorite or top favorites. Please vote and I’ll let
you know the results.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

I’m a Canadian and November 11th is officially
called Remembrance Day, but it is also known as Armistice Day and Poppy Day. Remembrance
Day marks the anniversary of the official end of the World War I hostilities on
November 11, 1918. The artificial red poppy symbolizes those who died.

Veterans and Legion members volunteer to sell the poppies
in malls and in front of grocery stores and liquor stores. They begin right
after Halloween. And it’s by donation – any amount. Banks, insurance companies
and smaller stores have poppies available with a donation box for those
standing inn line to pay a cashier.

Most Canadians wear the artificial poppy in their lapels to
honor those who died in WW1 and WW2 until November 11th.

The poem, “In Flanders Fields”, written by John McCrae, in
May 1915 is read, printed and shared at tis time. Apparently during the early
days of the Second Battle of Ypres a young Canadian artillery officer,
Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, was killed on 2nd May, 1915 in the gun positions near
Ypres. An exploding German artillery shell landed near him. He was serving in
the same Canadian artillery unit as a friend of his, the Canadian military
doctor and artillery commander Major John McCrae.

As the brigade doctor, John McCrae was asked to conduct
the burial service for Alexis because the chaplain had been called away
somewhere else on duty that evening. It is believed that later that evening,
after the burial, John began the draft for his now famous poem “In Flanders
Fields”.

I learned this poem in school (many, many years ago) and
still remember it.

1.The title
should be big and easy to read. This is more important than ever. (Many people will first encounter
your cover on a screen, not on a shelf.)This is such a well-worn cliche of
cover design that I have a designer friend with a Facebook photo album called
“Make the Title Bigger.”

2.Don’t forget
to review a thumbnail image of the cover.Is the cover compelling at a small size? More
people are buying books on a Kindle or mobile device, so you want the cover to
read clearly no matter where it appears. You should also anticipate what the
cover looks like in grayscale.

3.Do not use
any of the following fonts (anywhere!): Comic Sans orPapyrus. These fonts are only
acceptable if you are writing a humor book, or intentionally attempting to
create a design that publishing professionals will laugh at.

4.No fontexplosions! (And avoid special styling.) Usually a cover should not use more than2
fonts. Avoid the temptation to put words in caps, italics caps, outlined caps,
etc. Do not “shape” the type either.

5.Donot use
your own artwork, or your children’s artwork, on the cover. There are a
few rare exceptions to this, but let’s assume you are NOT one of them. It’s
almost always a terrible idea.

6.Do not use
cheap clip art on your cover.I’m talking about the stuff that comes free with Microsoft Word or
other cheap layout programs. Quality stock photography is OK. (iStockPhoto is one reliable source for quality
images.)

7.Do not stick
an image inside a box on the cover.I call this the “T-shirt” design. It looks
extremely amateurish.

8.Avoid
gradients. It’s
especially game-over if you have a cover with a rainbow gradient.

9.Avoid garish
color combinations.Sometimes such covers are meant to catch people’s attention. Usually,
it just makes your book look freakish.

A CHRISTMAS ANTHOLOGY

Targeted

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About Me

I'm a Canadian author who writes murder, mystery, medical thrillers, romantic suspense, often set in Montana on a ranch. I recently dived into self-publishing and I love the challenge. It's exciting. Hunted was my first novel, then Missing and Targeted, the third in the series, set in Montana. Another series about an assistant PI, A Cruise to Remember and A Murder to Forget . By Design, on cloning. And I'm working on Death Southern Style set in New Orleans. I'm hoping to finish it by the end of September. Check them out and let me know what you think.